Boy hospitalized, video surfaces after beating near Orléans school

Ottawa police are investigating an incident in which a teen was beaten by multiple assailants until he’s left apparently unconscious and twitching after receiving a kick to the head.

The beating, which happened in Orléans on Thursday, was captured on cellphone video and has since been shared extensively over social media.

One parent of a student at St. Peter High School in Orléans wrote about the incident on Facebook. By early Friday afternoon, that post had been shared more than 2,000 times.

“In light of today’s event at our local high school, we need to spread the word for students to put their phones down, stand up first, say something, do something to STOP anyone from hurting others,” wrote Matthew Wall, who said that while his child was not involved in the incident, he wanted to speak up for the safety of all kids.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board did not respond to questions about the incident, but said in a statement Friday that “the school is working with the school resource officer and meeting with parents (and) students regarding an off-school-property incident yesterday.

“Safe schools policies continue to be implemented to ensure that the school remains a safe environment,” the board added.

Paramedics said they were called to the 700 block of Charlemagne Boulevard and took a youth in his mid-teens who had suffered a head injury in a fight to the hospital. The youth was conscious and walking, paramedics said.

St. Peter High School is located at 750 Charlemagne Blvd.

Police, who said the injured teen has since been released from hospital, confirmed that school resource officers responded to a reported assault at a high school on Charlemagne Boulevard Thursday morning, but said that no further details would be made public pending an ongoing investigation.

This newspaper reviewed a copy of a video provided by the mother of a St. Peter’s student who asked that her name not be used.

In the video, a boy is on the ground trying to shield himself from blows delivered by multiple youths until one strikes him in the head with an audible kick, even as one bystander appears to be trying to intervene to protect him. Then the youth appears to lose consciousness and begin convulsing.

At least two people are filming in the crowd of onlookers.

“Oh my God,” one person exclaims before the crowd of onlookers gasps at the kick to the fallen teen’s head.

Upon viewing the video, which was being shared on SnapChat, “I was absolutely sickened,” Wall said Friday. “There were so many kids standing with their phones rather than helping.”

Using the hashtag #igotyourback, he called on parents to talk to kids about speaking out and seeking help instead of filming violence and “unnecessarily” sharing the video on social media.

“Teach your kids to put your phones down and stand up to what’s wrong,” Wall wrote Thursday. “Put yourself in this kid’s parents’ shoes today. How would you be feeling right now that a video of your son getting his head kicked in is going viral while you’re beside him in a hospital?”

School Resource Officers attended a high school on Charlemagne (Orleans) Nov. 8 @ 11am in response to reports of an assault on a student. A young male was injured and transported to a local hospital. He has since been released. Ongoing investigation; no further details avail.